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Trolls
Trolls are a highly advanced alien species from another universe. They are most notably responsible for creating Earth and the universe that it inhabits. Physiology Physically, trolls resemble humans with gray skin, black hair, sharp teeth, and bright orange eyes and horns. They tend to be more combat-capable than a human of equivalent age, as millenia of strife have tempered the trolls into fighting machines. Trolls mature at a similar rate to humans, and if unalloyed by Perks or EXP, they exhibit fairly similar capabilities. Hemospectrum Each troll has one of 12 blood colors. These colors have both biological and social significance, and place the troll somewhere in their culture's caste system, for instance, the more common-blooded trolls tend to have a greater occurence of psychic mutations, but are as a result more susceptible to such powers themselves, and higher-blooded trolls have longer lifespans. The colors are listed here in descending order of commonality. Rust Rustbloods are the lowest possible caste of all and tend to live on the fringes of society. They can expect to live only 25-50 years, as each successive caste is longer-lived than the last. Many are laborers, and nearly all wind up dead fighting as ground troops in wars offworld. Brown Brownbloods form the backbone of society. Their position is the second-lowest on the spectrum, which means that while they aren't shunned like many of the rustbloods, their station isn't much better. Yellow Yellowbloods are often given positions as skilled technicians or craftsmen, and despite their low position on the hemospectrum, may rise to some small prominence in society. Lime Limebloods have not yet been seen in Homestuck, but it's been hinted that they are universally loathed--probably cast as opressors by the lowbloods and pretenders by the highbloods. There may be more to the widespread hatred for this caste, though details remain sketchy. Green Greenbloods are effectively the middle caste, and are viewed as fit to either fraternize with the bluebloods or slum with the lowbloods. Jade Green These trolls are exceedingly rare, and given much prestige, though carefully controlled. Often, they remain underground and tend to the mother grub, though occasionally they are selected by the most prestigious Lusus of all. the virgin mother grub. Teal Teal is the color of the civil servant, a role that inspires terror in the lower bloods and amusement in the higher. Cerulean Trolls with cerulean blood are minor nobles, entitled to ownership of vast amounts of property, and usually saddled with some responsibility that keeps the lowbloods working under them very busy. Blue Bluebloods are middle-tier nobles, who are generally content to spend their time leading the cerulean-blooded trolls in feuds against the sea-dwellers. Indigo Indigo is the mark of the Highbloods, who hold absolute authority over all land-dwellers. They are greatly feared and respected, but despite their prestige, trolls of this blood are almost universally afflicted with crippling madness. Purple Purple-blooded trolls posess gills on their neck that allow them to live comfortably underwater or on land. They have been manipulated into an eternal feud with the land-dwellers, and despite their low numbers, have been given the best resources to do so. Despite the feud, they often conspire with land-dwellers to scheme against other trolls in an endless scramble for wealth and power. Tyrian Purple Only one or two trolls have this blood at any time. One being the Empress of their society, and the other being a potential heir to the throne. These two share a special relationship with the same Lusus, which is actually one of the Horrorterrors. The creature is the size of a palace, and has unrivaled psychic power that it could use to snuff out a single troll, and entire caste, or the entire species. The Lusus remains planetside while the Empress leads the species' galactic conquest. Assuming something unfortunate doesn't befall a potential heir, they will eventually gain enough of a rapport with the Lusus to use it against the empress and assume her throne. Purple-blooded trolls are effectively immortal, living for thousands of years. Culture Alternian culture is based entirely on the children that dwell there. Aside from the jade-green blooded trolls that tend to the mother grub, no adults are permitted to stay on the planet. To keep their viciousness from tearing their culture apart, the adults are engaged in an endless campaign of galactic conquest. This leaves the children to pretty much grow up for themselves, a process which is hard and no one understands. Children absorb their culture through the social customs held in place by tradition. Higher-blooded children are allowed larger houses, and afforded more wealth and better opportunities. The caste system seems natural and normal to children, and adults must respect it or face culling. Romance In caverns deep below the planet's surface, an enormous creature known as the mother grub lays eggs by the thousands. These hatch into troll-headed grubs called wrigglers. Wrigglers are assigned a unique symbol at birth that remains their personal emblem for life. Should a wriggler survive long enough, they spin a cocoon and emerge as a young troll. From here, they are forced to overcome several trials or face an early death. Those few who overcome are chosen by a Lusus that shares their blood color. From there, a young troll claims an estate in accordance with their blood color and (with the help of robots left on the planet by the adults) builds a hive. Trolls have four distinct forms of relationships they consider romantic. Two of these relationships, the matespritship and the kismesissitude can lead to reproduction. Matespritship: A pair of matesprits have what humans might consider a standard romantic relationship. Moirailship: A moirail is a pair of trolls who have a special friendship, Usually this involves two trolls keeping each other calm, safe, and grounded. Note that trolls also have friends in the human sense of the word, and Moirailship is considered a different sort of bond. Auspisticitude: '''Sometimes a kismesissitude becomes so bitter that it puts the lives of its participants at serious risk, or two rivals are drawing close to being each others' kismesis when they don't want to. In these situations, an auspistice--a mutual friend who mediates the conflict--steps in. The three maintain a special bond and often come into conflict, but things are kept from boiling over. '''Kismesissitude: Kismeses are two rivals whose competition with each other leads to a special sort of bond. They can be thought of as arch-rivals, always sparing the other or "failing" to kill them at the last moment so that the battle can continue another day. These cat-and-mouse games are extremely dangerous, however, as either side can easily push things too far or simply lose interest, killing their partner or getting themselves killed in the process. The Miracle of Reproduction An extraordinarily powerful automaton known as The Imperial Drone regularly makes its rounds at certain times, demanding that its filial pails are filled with genetic material from all romantically involved trolls. If a troll is of age (nearing adulthood) and lacks a partner, they are very quickly culled. The material from each pair mixes in the pails, and is handed off to the mother grub, who combines it into one gigantic incestuous slurry and uses it to produce her thousands of eggs. Stronger bonds are said to produce more robust genetic material, while the genes mixed up by weaker bonds become recessive. Playing a Troll Trolls may, if they wish, take one extra minor perk (and one extra minor flaw) at character creation. Trolls are otherwise created in the same manner as Humans.